• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

What difference does it make?

Posted on November 15, 2016 by wtdavid

What difference does it make to be in the majority or the minority?hqdefault

Around the globe today, that’s a question on which a number of people are reflecting.  For some, it’s a financial question; for others, it’s a political question; and for still others, it’s a social structure question.

To be in the majority means that one’s way of seeing the world is the operating principle for the context in which one lives and works.  It’s a comfortable place to be.  To be in the minority means that one’s way of seeing the world is not the standard operating principle.  This can be an uncomfortable and awkward place to be.

Imagine that you have been invited to a dinner party where the host, and most of the guests, is an extrovert.  If you are an extrovert, you will feel very much at home at the dinner party and probably tell people later what a great time you had.  You are in the majority.  If you are an introvert, you will feel like the proverbial ‘fish out of water’ amongst all these extroverts.  The dinner party might be hard, uncomfortable, or awkward.  Rare would be the person at such a dinner party, from the majority group, who notices your uncomfortableness and tries to ‘bridge’ you into the conversation.

So, why am I writing all this?  In our World Team Ministry Framework, one of the elements of our organizational culture (our context) is community.  Community, Gospel community, calls us to address the differences, the disparities that may exist between us.  Gospel community calls us to think about others who may not be in our ‘majority’ in terms of language, culture, temperament or style of thinking; to think about others who may not be in our ‘majority’ and how they might feel. Gospel community calls us to turn away from ways that may isolate others, and move towards others to learn from their way of perceiving the world.

Have you ever wondered about when John writes: “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah!  For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready””, what language will be spoken when we are all gathered together in that way?  And what cultural cues will we follow as we sit down to the marriage feast of the Lamb?

Community: is the experience of God’s people sharing in common their relationship with Christ, stimulating each other toward growth in maturity … this kind of community operates through voluntary transparency and through speaking and receiving the truth in love.

 

Filed under: Community, Crossing cultures, Gospel, Listening | 6 Comments »

Have you heard about monoculturals?

Posted on November 4, 2016 by wtdavid

To be ‘monocultural’ is the idea of looking at another culture only from the perspective of our culture of origin.  However, have you ever heard of ‘monoculturals’?monoculturals

Monoculturals is a term that refers to people who see themselves as being connected globally to people from all different walks of life.  It’s the feeling that there is one ‘culture’ to which everyone has access and in which you engage others.   Facebook, Twitter, and the global music culture create the opportunity for people to relate to others from Cambodia, Paraguay and Denmark.  We have the possibility of ‘reaching out and touching others’ from a host of different places.

There is a caveat.  The caveat is that we can begin to ignore the specific underlying cultural assumptions and views of one another because of the ‘monoculture’ in which we believe we are all living.  The veneer of being ‘united’ can cloud the reality that there is more to each person than just a specific post or song lyrics.

If we apply this to our larger agency, we know that we are ‘united’ by a common culture, a ‘monoculture’ if you will of an unwavering commitment to multiplying disciples and communities of believers among the lost.  However, we can easily lose sight of the ‘cultural’ differences that mark each one of us and create unnecessary tensions in our relationships with one another.

Just as we did when we first started to learn a new language and culture, we should give ourselves more to listening well to others, and particularly to asking probing questions that will help us better understand what is ‘underneath’ each one of us in terms of our personal cultural values and assumptions.

Filed under: Community, Crossing cultures | Leave a comment »

Ever feel lonely?

Posted on May 19, 2016 by wtdavid

Ever feel like you are standing in a crowd, but no one recognizes you and engages you in conversation? Ever feel like you are the unnecessary ‘extra’ in a group and wish someone could just ‘beam you up Scotty’?  Ever feel lonely?loneliness

Loneliness is that emotion where we deeply sense our loss of connection to others; where we know in our hearts that we are ‘unplugged’ relationally.

That loneliness can be the result of a number of factors. We may be a ‘foreigner’ in a culture where we have been called to live and minister, and we feel that loneliness because nothing is familiar.  We may be an ‘older person’ surrounded by the new younger generation of workers, and we sense that loneliness because we feel ‘old’ and misunderstood.  We may be a single on a team of married couples, and we feel that loneliness  because we are like that proverbial 5th wheel, not sure of our place and role.  We may be from one culture, working among a team with a majority of members from another culture, and ministering together among another culture.  In that situation, we feel that loneliness because we are always fighting to have ourselves heard, misunderstood and appreciated.

I am not trying to be simplistic by saying that community is one of the best ways to dispel loneliness in our lives. However, the Bible certainly leaves us with this distinct impression.  However, our communities often tend to accentuate rather than dispel loneliness. That happens because we, as individual members, look to the community to meet our needs, rather than offering acceptance and engagement to all members of the community.  When we move towards others in the community and relationally ‘plug back in’ with those who are part of our community, we begin to dispel the cloud of loneliness.

At a wedding that Rebecca & I attended a few weeks ago, the pastor made this comment: “Love is all about initiative: we taking initiative to move towards others, just as God took the initiative to move towards us.”

I’m not sure how all this works out, but calling us back to examining what gospel community should truly look like, is certainly a first step.

Filed under: Community, Crossing cultures, Gospel | 6 Comments »

Why is it so hard?

Posted on April 29, 2016 by wtdavid

Have you ever said that to yourself?  I’m guessing that at some point, most of us have. worth

Work life, in general, has its ups and downs.  There are relational issues, company policy miscommunication, and work scheduling struggles.  However, cross cultural ministry adds a whole other element.  We are called to navigate work life, ministry life in another context and culture than our own home context and culture.  It’s not that we just double the difficulties.  We exponentially increase the struggles we face in trying to make ourselves (heart and mind) understood among another people group that holds a different worldview than we do.

Along with that exponential increase of struggles comes the strong temptation to question one’s calling.  Statements pop into our mind like: “What am I really doing here?  Am I actually having any impact?  Is it all worth it?”  Sometimes that questioning comes in the form of anger, frustration, or simple criticism of all that we see and experience around us.  It can even issue in the strong desire to just ‘go home’.

These are the times when my heart (our hearts) needs to here two truths, and probably my heart needs to hear them numerous times.

First truth: We love because He first loved us.  The verse in 1 John 4:7 which talks about loving one another begins with that simple word: “Beloved”.  We cannot love others if we don’t first know and daily appropriate for ourselves that we are loved, that I am loved by God.  That truth has to go ‘downtown’ to my heart and displace those feelings of inadequacy and self-pride.

Second truth: This is not my final home, nor is my home culture my final home.  It’s not a ‘way up there in the sky’ kind of philosophy, but God has reserved a ‘home’ for me, for each of His children, with Him.  My heart, our hearts will not find their ultimate rest until we find it in Him.

It is hard!  So, let’s drive those truths into our hearts; let’s drive those truths into one another’s hearts when we are with one another.

Filed under: Crossing cultures, Gospel | 2 Comments »

Language learning, culture and humility

Posted on December 8, 2015 by wtdavid

Most of us are activists at heart.  That’s one of the ‘core skills’ of a cross cultural worker; whether plodding or charging ahead, the cross cultural worker will move forward.  We’ve got that ‘checklist’ mindset where each part of the church planting task gets ‘checked off’ as we move forward to the next part.

Language learning?  Nine months of intensive study in a language school and we can check that requirement off.  Cultural learning?  Digest two to books on Haitian culture plus a weekend stay with a Haitian family and we can check that requirement off.  It’s just so straightforward.language learning

Yet, something in that ‘process’ doesn’t rime with Paul’s confession: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12.9)

During my first few months of language school, one of our professors announced that he was going to share the ‘secret’ to staying long term France.  All of us grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, ready to write down these words of wisdom.  This was his ‘secret’: “Every day, when you get up, go into the bathroom, look at yourself in the mirror and say: “Thank you God that I am your beloved child.  Help me to learn one more French word today.””  That was it. That was all he said.  To say that most of us in the class were disappointed would be an understatement.  However, he touched on one of the fundamental elements of the cross cultural journey.  It’s more about humility than performance.  It’s more about a growing dependency than about independence.

You cross the cultural bridge.  You lay anchors to keep you from sliding back onto the bridge.  And you recognize that each day of this journey will take you deeper into humility and dependency; something that goes against our nature and that we often resist.

All of us know that humility is not part of an online module in which can participate. However, we can certainly strive to put ourselves in contexts where God’s Spirit can continue His refining work, leading us to depend more and more on Him.  Some suggested ‘contexts’:

  • Learn a new word, a new expression today. Grab hold today of the right way to say something you’ve struggled to say correctly for a while.
  • Say ‘thanks for your help’ when someone corrects another one of your grammar mistakes.
  • Ask a neighbor to explain the meaning of a recent cultural event or particular cultural value.
  • Read up on a local historical landmark and go visit it.
  • Ask for help in doing a project at your apartment.
  • Consistently describe yourself as a ‘lifelong’ learner

Filed under: Crossing cultures, Humility | Tagged: | 7 Comments »

What is going to keep you there?

Posted on December 4, 2015 by wtdavid

Once the cultural bridge has been crossed, we might think that the ‘journey’ is over.  However, it has only just started.  Not only do we need ways to ensure a safe and sure passage across the cultural bridge, but we need to discover anchoring points that will keep us on moving forward in ongoing cross cultural learning and living.

It is somewhat like mountain climbers who use screws to secure an anchor for all the climbers in the group to move upward on the rock.  Crossing the cultural bridge calls us to be ‘equipped’ to look for such anchors.Carabiner

What are those anchors?  Several come quickly to mind, but there are certainly others: identity, community and laughter.

Identity.  A firm grasp of our identity and value in Christ is the first anchor we need to secure into the ‘rock’ as we move forward.  It is easier to say this than it is to actually live it out.  When you find yourself in another culture, you want to feel part of that culture. You make an effort to learn the language and the customs.  However, that ‘petit accent’ (that slight accent) always seems to give away the fact that you are not from there.  And when someone says again: ‘Oh, you must not be from here,’ you can easily feel devalued.  Speaking the Gospel to ourselves reminds us that we are not defined by what others think of us, nor by our ‘slight accent’, nor by our work.

Community.  God created us to be in community.  Our communities are a tangible reflection of the community that exists between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  As one moves through the cross cultural world, all kinds of emotions can rise to the surface of one’s heart.  An arena where honest sharing, mutual support and accountability can occur is vital.  That forum is the place where we can remind one another of the Gospel; where we can speak the Gospel to another.  That community is the place where our ‘strength’ is restored, where our idols are challenged, and where we are sent back out into life and ministry with a greater hold on Him.

Laughter.  This anchor doesn’t seem to fit often with the others.  However, it is just as vital.  The capacity to laugh at oneself in a cross cultural context is a gauge, in one sense, of how well are lives are founded upon Christ.  If we are unable to laugh at ourselves when we confuse again the ‘ou’ sound with the ‘u’ sound, for example, after years of living in a culture, then our value may be based more on my desire for language fluency, or on what others think of me, or on a desire to avoid the shame of just not measuring up.

None of these anchors are ‘for sale’ anywhere, but you will ‘find’ them in authentic relationship with fellow believers (both expat and national).

Filed under: Community, Crossing cultures, Gospel, Grace | 6 Comments »

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